Nutrition Tips for Elderly People

The world of nutrients and diets is a complex one. It gets even more complicated when we discuss nutrition for the elderly.

It’s hard to decide on a diet that fully gives your body the micro and macro nutrients it needs, and while there’s no doubt that variation exists among the general populace, a solid nutrition plan is based on certain rules and guidelines that work no matter what age you are.

Elderly people have to abide by certain rules when looking at foods to eat, too. Some of them have chronic diseases that demand they adhere to certain diets. Others have protein requirements that dictate their meal choices during the day.

Whatever the case might be, there are tips and tricks when it comes to nutrition that will help anyone who falls into the advanced age bracket make the most of their daily food intake.

Let’s see what these tips are and how to implement them if you yourself are an elderly person or if you want to help someone out.

1. Eat Whole Foods:

Eating anything and everything is very possible during your younger years. It doesn’t work well when you’re past your 50s. There are so many food choices, and very easy access to them, that it can be overwhelming to know which foods are healthy and which are not.

A general rule of thumb is to avoid all sources of empty calories. These include foods such as soda, chips, candy, baked products, and alcohol. While they’re pretty delicious, they’re low on calories and have little to no nutritional value.

What’s worse is that the ones high in sugar (soda) can cause diabetes, hypertension, and even heart attacks if an individual’s condition is bad enough.

Next on our to-avoid list are bad fats. Fats are an essential macronutrient, but for many elderly people, their bodies are no longer in good shape to break them down well.

Trans fats and saturated fats should be avoided because they’re very high in bad cholesterol (LDL). This means bigger health problems besides gaining weight, such as clogged blood vessels and heart disease.

Saturated fats come from processed animal food products. Trans fats are in your favourite pizza, in stick margarine, and in fried foods.

Once you’ve cleaned up your diet, it’s time to replace all these meals with something more healthy. For starters, you should always pick foods that are high in nutrition and low in calories.

Examples include fruits, vegetables, whole grains like oatmeal, seafood, lean meats, beans, nuts, and seeds. Eggs can also be added, depending on your health profile.

The reason why these foods in particular are great for the elderly is that they contain a lot of minerals and vitamins. For example, calcium improves bone density. For people suffering from osteoporosis, this is something their bodies really need.

It can be quite challenging to let go of bad eating habits, but life demands we make sacrifices every time we pass a certain age. This is especially true for elderly people.

2. Stay Hydrated:

Another issue you have to keep in mind as you get older is dehydration. Water makes up about 60% of our body composition, so it’s our job to drink a lot of the liquid.

First of all, if dehydration affects an elderly person, it leads to dryness of the mouth, lips, and tongue. In addition, it can result in dizziness, confusion, or drowsiness.

Even worse, some people lose their sense of thirst entirely as they advance in age, so it becomes challenging for them to know when to drink enough water.

Moreover, some types of medicines won’t even work or might even have side effects if an elderly person doesn’t have a lot of fluids in their system.

In other cases, body composition changes a lot with age, leaving the person with less water than ever before.

To check if you’re hydrated or not, watch your urine. If it’s pale and clear, it means you’re hydrated. If your urine is brown in colour or has amber tones to it, you’re likely dehydrated.

How much water is too much? And how much is enough? Common wisdom says you can’t drink too much water. To get started, you can take one-third of your body weight and drink that many ounces of water and fluids.

So, if you weigh 160 pounds, that equals 53.3 ounces of water to drink every day. Of course, this rule changes with time as you gain or lose weight.

If you ever get tired of drinking plain, liquid water, spice things up a bit. Squeeze some lemons into your water bottle for something exotic.

Other healthy options include experimenting with shakes. Milk is acceptable if you’re not lactose intolerant, and it tends to mix well with a lot of other foods.

Fruit shakes, like adding a strawberry, a cucumber, and a berry together and drinking them, are also an excellent choice. Consult with your healthcare provider for the best results, but always drink water above all else.

While drinking water is an amazing step to keep your body in top shape, there are also foods you can eat that are high in water content. Some examples are:

• Watermelons.
• Cucumbers.
• Lettuce.
• Strawberries.
• Soups.
• Broths.
• Stews.

All these foods have enough fluid to last you throughout the day. Likewise, there are drinks and foods that lead to dehydration that you should be aware of.

Alcohol, for example, is a diuretic. In simple terms, it means alcohol gives your body signals to remove fluids from the bloodstream, which increases the risk of dehydration.

Coffee and tea are also guilty of this as well. They’re the hardest to get rid of for a lot of people.

As for foods, avoid snacks because they’re high in salt. The same goes for something like parsley and asparagus. They make your urine smell, and they also eat up a lot of fluids.

3. Be Around Others:

Staying motivated when planning to eat healthily is challenging both mentally and physically. For many elderly people, their close ones might be far away.

Other times, an elderly person lives alone. In both cases, it’s hard not to fall into depression and unhealthy habits. If you’re struggling with your meal plans, consider attending or organising some potluck meals. Invite a friend if they’re around to cook with you.

Other options include having some meals at a nearby senior center, a community center, or a religious institution.

People will also help you with food suggestions and good recipes that fit your needs if you ask them.

If it’s becoming increasingly difficult for you to cook meals yourself, you can ask an occupational therapist for advice. They’ll usually either transfer you to a senior center or offer meal suggestions that are easy to prepare.

4. Take Care Of Your Health:

Nutrition will improve your health in general, but you still need to pay attention to other underlying causes or chronic illnesses that might set you back on your nutrition goals.

For the elderly population, it’s usually one or all of the following:

• Chewing Problems: In such cases, teeth are the culprit. Check with your dentist and take care of oral hygiene. Avoid sugary foods that ruin your teeth and leave you helpless when eating actual healthy foods.

• Swallowing Problems: Drinking plenty of water and increasing your fluid intake usually solves the issue. If that does not work, it’s best to visit a healthcare provider for help.

• Problems With The Senses: It’s natural for the sense of taste and smell to weaken with age. One way to mitigate those issues is by adding variety to your foods. Color, texture, and spices are all welcome additions here.

Obviously, there are many more to discuss here, but these are the ones that plague most elderly people.

In Conclusion:

Whatever your age is, nutrition should never take a backseat to other things in your life. Good nutrition leads to a longer lifespan, healthier living, and comfort in your twilight years.

There are so many conflicting sources on the web and in the real world that give out food suggestions, fad diets, and magical solutions promising to end your nutrition struggles.

They’re all born out of following the tried-and-true methods of taking care of yourself and listening to your body.

This article has outlined healthy foods for the elderly, unhealthy foods to avoid, and the importance of staying hydrated. Along with that, you should also be around others and take care of your health.

The last two impact your nutrition and caloric intake more than you can imagine. As for the rest? The rest is up to you. It’s time to set long-term nutrition goals and see them through.

Your body will thank you for it.